Donald edward la



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

D. E. LA LONE.

. GAR COUPLING. No. 367,216.

Patented July 26, 1887.

ATTORNEYS.

o nphlr, Walhinglun. u. c,

' 2 SheetsShe.et 2.

(No Model.)

7 D. LA.-LONE GAR COUPLING.

No. 367,216. Patented July 26, 1887.

INVENTOR:

BY m

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STAT S PATENT ()FFIcE.

DONALD EDWARD LA LONE, "or MILES, IowA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF,

JUSTINMILES, AND HENRY DUNN, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letter Application filed June 9, 18:7.

7 To all whom it nmy concern.-

Be it known that I, DONALD EDWARD LA LONE, of Miles, in the county of Jackson and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Oar-Coupling, of which the following is .a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to car couplings, and has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient coupling, by means of which high and low cars may be coupled to gether automatically by using an ordinary A link, andmay be uncoupled either from the sides or tops of the cars, and without requiring the trainanen to go between the cars an expose themselves to injury.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts of the car-coupling, all as hereinafter iully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a front elevation of the drawhead of my improved car'coupling,with parts broken away and in section. Fig. 2 is asectional side elevation of the draw-head,with a coupling-link held therein. Fig. 3 is an under side view ofone of the series of linksupporting plates of the draw-head. Fig. 4 is a top View of the plate. Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal section of the plate, with the link-holding dog attached and shown in side elevation. Fig. 6 is a sectional side elevation of the draw-head, with the dogs and their operating-bar removed; and Fig. 7 is an end view of a box-car with my improved coupling applied, and shows the connections for oper ating the dog-lifting bar for uncoupling from either side or the top of the car. i

The draw head A of the coupling is provided with a rearwardly-projecting draw-bar, a,which will be fitted to the car body or frame with buffersprings in any ordinary or approved way. The draw-head has a cap or head plate, A, made removable to allow the coupling-link-holding devices-to be readily off to renew any of the interior parts which may at any time be damaged or broken.

5 Patent No. 367,216, dated July 26, 1887.

Serial No. 240,809. (No model.)

In the large recess B, provided in the drawhead, a series of heavy plates, 0, are heldat their inner ends on bolts D,which pass into or head and space the back ends of the plates evenly apart,one,above the other. The front parts of the plates 0 are fitted loosely to a corfitted loosely at the ends in a pair of opposite guide and spacing plates or bars, F F, which, with the shaft E, hold the front ends of the plates 0 like distances apart or parallel with each other fiatwise. A spring, G, fixed to the bottom of the draw-head,acts under the lowest plate 0 to hold the entire series of plates 0 up at their forward ends and about level, and also allows a limited vertical play of the plates to accommodate jolting of the cars on uneven tracks. The spaces la b b between the four plates 0 form three independent recesses or sockets, each adapted to receive a coupling-link, and the forward ends of all the each side to a central point or edge, a, which of the sockets.

To the squared or flat-sided central part of each of the shafts E a dog or link retaining pawl, H, is fixed so as to turn with its shaft, and each plate 0 is provided with a recess, 0, in which one of the dogs is held and which is upward into the recess by turning theshaft, as indicated by the dotted lines. in Fig. 5 of the drawings. The recess 0' extends, as a slot at its forward part, clear through the plate 0, to provide a shoulder, 0, against which the end or toe h of the dog H, held to the next higher plate 0, rests to resist the pull of the link I, which may be. confined by the dog, as will be understood from Fig. 2 of the drawlngs.

The shafts E are each formed at one end with a crank-arm, 6, having a wrist-pin, e, which enters a slot, j, made in a bar, J, which is fitted to slide vertically in the draw-head. The crank-arms'e,when the dogs H on the shafts E are down across the link-sockets, range downward and rearward, as shown in Fig. 2, and whereby, when the bar J is lifted, all the dogs will be swung upward simultaneously by the through the opposite side walls of the drawresponding number of shafts, E, which are' plates are beveled or chamfered off from or at' assures easy entrance-of the link into any one of proper size to allow the dogto be swung ICO action of the walls of thebar-slots j,wl1ich will consequently lift the dog which had confined the coupling-link and allow withdrawal of the line to uncouple the cars; and when the bar J is released it will fall and the shafts E will turn to their first positions, thus allowing all the dogs H to fall again across the link-sockets ready for any one of the dogs to be automatically lifted or swung upward by the entering link of the next car to be coupled on. The slotsj in the bar J are of such sizethat as the entering-link lifts any one of the dogs the other dogs and the bar J will not be lifted-and when the end of the link passesin beyond the toe of the dog which it had lifted said dog will fall and confine the link, thereby coupling the cars.

It is obvious that high or low cars and cars having any ordinary link-carrying draw-hcad may be coupled automatically with cars provided with my improved coupling.

To effect the uncoupling of the cars without requiring traiu'men to stand between the cars and expose themselves to injury, I provide the devices shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings, as follows: A shaft, K, which ranges horizontally, isjournaled in suitable bearings on the end of the car-body L, and at its center is provided with a crank-arm, It, to which and the top of the uncoupling-bar J a chain, M, is connected, and the opposite ends of the shaft K are pro vidcd with cranks L k, which, when turned by a person standing at either side of the train, will lift the bar J and release the couplinglink. The chain M is connected also to the lower end of a vertically-ranging rod, N, fitted to slide in bearings on the car-body and attached at its upper end to one end of a lever, O, which is fulerumed to the car, and may be operated by the hand or foot of a person on top of the car to lift the bar J and unconple the cars as will readily be understood.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a car-coupling, the combination, with a draw-head recessedto receive a couplinglink, of a shaft pivoted in the draw-head and provided at the end with a crank, a link-retaining dog on said shaft, and a vertically-sliding bar fitted in the draw-head and provided with a slot engagingthe crank 0f the dog-shaft,

substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

2. In a carcoupling, the combination, with a draw'head, A, recessed at B, of a series of plates, 0, slotted and apertured at c, and carrying pivoted dogs H and hung at one end 011 bolts D in the draw-head,and spacing-bars F, connected to the plates 0 to maintain their parallelism and providing a series of link-receiving sockets between the plates, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a ear-coupling, the combination, with a draw-head, A, recessed at B, of a series of plates, 0, recessed and apertured at c and hung at one end on bolts or pins Din the draw-head, bars F F at the sides of the plates 0, a series of shafts, E, connecting the plates 0 and bars F, and having cranked ends a, a bar, J, fitted in the draw-head and provided with slots j, receiving the crank-wrists, and aseries of dogs, H, held to the shafts E in the recesses of the plates 0, all arranged for operation substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

4. In a car-coupling, the combination, with a draw-head, A, recessed at B, and a series of plates, 0, bars F F, shafts E, and dogs If, arranged for operation substantially as specified, of a spring, G, supporting the plates G, substantially as described,for thepurposesetforth.

5. In a car-coupling, the combination, with a draw-head, A, recessed at B, and a series of plates, 0, bars F F, shafts E, having cranks 0, dogs H, held to said shafts, and an uncouplingbar, J, having slots j, receiving the wrists of the cranks,substantially as specified, of a shaft, K, having cranks k k k, and a chain, M, connected to the crank 75, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a carcoupling, the combination, with a draw-head, A, recessed at B, and a series of plates, 0, bars F F, shafts E,having cranks e, (logs H on said shafts, and an uncoupling-bar, J, having slots j, receiving the crank-wrists, substantially as specified, of a rod, N, on the car, a lever, 0, connected to said rod, and a chain, M, connecting the bar Jand rod N, substantially as shown and described.

DONALD EDWARD LA LONE.

\Vitnesses:

J. W. MILEs, J OHN GRAFF. 

